Gaming education

If there was one thing that came out of the recently released Digital Australia Report which looked into the effects of gaming in Australia it’s that video games have infused every part of the society; video games are everywhere and used by people of all ages and walks of life, of the sample 86% said they gamed.

Gaming is pervasive but is it positive? Well yes. Games bring people together, stimulate the mind and give opportunity for learning. Gaming is also good for social connection and mental wellbeing.

Games’ effect on education was particularly telling. The survey asked participants whether games could have an effect on learning in 13 areas. Some 86% said games had the potential to increase general knowledge and 83% indicated that games could be beneficial in imparting digital knowledge.

Their role in improving mental health, specialist knowledge and cultural knowledge all scored highly with respondents – an average of 75% said their gaming had potential to increase knowledge in these areas.

But perhaps most telling was that none of the areas investigated ranked lower than 60% – 62% said that games could improve knowledge about diet, which kind of makes sense – so it’s a very strong indication that people feel games are good for improving one’s knowledge generally.

Respondents were slightly more qualified in the responses when asked in games had a positive effect and a role in education, that said 71% indicated that games could be used to teach students and 70% intimated that games could motivate students.

Respondents reacted positively to the statement that games help schools to remain relevant at 62%. Some 63% agreed that games can help teachers teach and 64% said games can help students pay attention.

The results of the survey regarding the work place weren’t as positive. When asked about effectiveness of video games on the job 34% answered positively that they could be used to impart new knowledge, and 30% said they were useful when learning some new software or tool.

Data reported come from 1234 Australian households and 3135 individuals of all ages in those households. Participants were drawn randomly from the Nielsen Your Voice Panel in March 2017.

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